Piano.



Patented July I6, l90l. L. M. FRENCH.

PIANO;

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1900.)

( N0 Model.)

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PIANO.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1900.)

3 Sheets-:Sheet 2.

(No Modal.)

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No. 678,478. Patented luly l6, I90l.

L. M, FRENCH.

PIANO.

(No Model.) (Application mm mm 1900') 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

LAMARTINE M. FRENCH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONF- FOURTH TO HENRY H. NORTHROP, OF SAME PLACE.

PIANO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 678,478, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed September 14., 1900- Serial No. 29,986. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAMARTINE M. FRENCH, of Ohicago,lllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos, whereof the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for increasing the capabilities of a piano.

In carrying out my invention. I provide mechanism adapted to cause a continuous vibration of the hammers against the strings, thereby keeping up the vibration of the strings and prolonging the tones thereof. I also provide connections between said mechanism and the hammers and keys such that the depressing of a key will bring the hammers within the sphere of action of said mechanism, so that the tone continues as long as the key is held down to the right point. I also provide meansv for locking certain or all of the keys in their depressed position, so that the tones of the depressed keys will continue and leave the operators hands free. I also in some cases use a pedal connection for varying the action of the Vibrator to decrease or increase the tone by a movement of the pedal.

In the accompanying drawings and the subjoined description I have set forth an embodiment of my invention in what I now consider its best form.

Figure 1 is a cross-section of a piano-action at rest containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view, but showing the commencement of the depression of a key. Fig. 3 is a similar View, but omitting someof the parts, showing the ordinary full depression of a key and showing also in dotted lines the position in which the hammer is held by the back-check when it rebounds from the string. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the key forced down below the ordinary full depression. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the advancement of the hammer-rest rail under a partial depression of the soft pedal. Fig. 6 is a similar view under a further depression of the soft pedal. Fig. 7 is a similar view under a full depression of the soft pedal. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a motor for rotating the vibrator, with its battery and rheostat. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional detail of a sostenuto rail. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the .mers of a piano; 2, the strings thereof; 3, the

hammer-rest rail, and 4, the keys. The other parts of the action, though shown, I do not think it necessary to indicate by characters of reference.

5 is a vibrator composed of a cam-shaft with cams for each hammer, revolubly mounted in a bracket or hanger 6 7, which may be made of two pieces, as shown in Fig. 14, for purposes of adjustment. This vibratorI arrange below the hammer-rest rail and back of the hammer-shanks 8.

9 is a tongue, of which there is one on each hammer-shank, extending backward over the vibrator 5 and so adjusted that in certain positions of the parts it is contacted by the vibrator and the hammer thereby vibrated against the string, thus vibrating the latter and sustaining the tone.

The vibrator 5 may be rotated by any convenient means, though I prefer to use an electric motor 10, which may be mounted with a rheostat 11, so that it may be run at different speeds.

12 represents the battery by which the motor is driven.

On the upper part of each of any desired series of keys in front of the action I provide a hook 13, which is engaged by a projection 14 on a rail 15. This rail is hung on pivots 16 to any convenient part of the piano and is oscillated by a pedal through a connection 17 with an arm 18 of the rail.

19 is a spring to maintain the rail 15 out of engagement with the hooks 13. (Vida Fig. 9.)

In operation the vibrator 5 is rotated and when the piano is otherwise at rest is without effect, as is seen in Fig. 1. If now a key be struck and held down, as in Fig. 3, the hammer will be thrown against the string and give a tone in the ordinary manner and will return to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, where it is stopped by the back- Ioo check, and the rotating vibrator 5 will act on the tongue 9 and vibrate the hammer against the string, and thus sustain the tone as long as the key is held down, and this will be true of one or of any number of keys. If the key be now forced down below its ordinary full depression, (shown in Fig. 3,) which it can be by compressing the front rail-key punching 21, as seen in Fig. 4, the hammer will be moved toward the string, and the-tongue 9 will gradually move out of the sphere of action of the vibrator 5, and by releasing the key slightly it will gradually move back within that sphere of action. I thus secure a crescendo and diminuendo sost-enuto effect by simply varying the pressure of the fingers on the keys. If it be desired to hold the keys down and leave the hands free, the rail 15 is oscillated from its normal position (shown in Fig. 9) to the position shown in Fig. 10 by placing the foot on the proper controllingpedal, and the keys are so held by the projection 14: engaging the hooks 13. As a safeguard against careless players who rest their hands on the keys I arrange the devices to permit a slight depression of the key, as shown in Fig. 2, before the vibrator 5 begins to act.

In pianos in which the soft-tone effect is secured by moving the hammer-rest rail I use that movement in addition to the method just described for giving the crescendo and diminuendo effect. This I have illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, which show three positions of the hammer-rest rail. shown as moved from its normal position (shown in Figs. 1 to 4t) toward the strings to a position in which the vibrator 5 is just clear of the tongues 9. If new the rail be moved farther toward the strings, the tongues 9 are gradually brought within the sphere of action of the vibrator, as in Fig. 6, and then gradually carried out of that sphere, as in Fi 7, so that by varying the pressure of the foot on a pedal while holding the keys down I secure a crescendo and diminuendo sostenuto effect. By dividing the hammer-rest rail and moving its sections independently I can have a crescendo diminuendo sostenuto treble with an ordinary base, or vice versa.

It is of course to be understood that the above-described mechanism may be varied considerably without departing from my invention.

From the foregoing description and an examination of Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, it will be seen that the hammer is thrown forward by depression of the key and that immediately the stroke is completed the hammer and its shank fall back into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, in which position the jack will be out of operative relation with the hammer, and the hammer cannot again be thrown forward by a depression of the key until the key is released and the jack brought to operative position with reference to the hammer. The back-check, as noted, holds In Fig. 5 the rail is the hammer in a position between the hammer-rest rail and the strings. When the parts are in this position, the hammer may have a movement toward the wire or string independent of the key and jack, and this capability of being moved from an intermediate position into contact with the string is made use of in the construction herein shown and described, for, as will be seen, the tongue 9, attached to the hammer-shank, is brought into operative position with the vibrator 5, and the hammer is caused to strike the string as often as the cam or vibrator 5 comes in contact with the tongue.

The hammer-rest rail 3 and the vibrator 5, which is suspended therefrom or carried thereby, describe different arcs when the rail is moved forward, whereby the tongues carried by the hammers are brought into the sphere of action of the vibrator and by a full forward movement of the rail are carried out of action. This will be clearly understood upon referring to Figs. 5 to 7, inclusive.

I claim- 1. The combination of the hammers, strings and keys of a piano with mechanism for vibrating the hammers against the strings thrown into action by the ordinary full depression of the keys, and thrown out of action again by a further depression of the keys, whereby a crescendo diminuendo sostenuto effect is secured by simply varying the pressure on the keys, substantially as set forth.

2. In a piano,the combination of the strings, the hammers, and the ordinary keys acting in conjunction with said hammers producing percussion-blows; a tongue attached to each hammer; and a rotary vibrator adjacent to said tongues, acting thereon to vibrate the hammers when the keys are depressed after having made the ordinary percussion-blow, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of thehammers, strings and keys of a piano with a movable hammerrest rail and a vibrator located below and carried by said rail to vibrate the hammers when the keys are depressed, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the hammers, strings and keys of a piano, with a movable hammerrest rail, a rotary vibrator for vibrating the hammers against the strings, mounted on and located below said rail and movable therewith, and a tilting rail provided with projections to engage the keys and lock them in a depressed position, substantially as set forth.

5. In a piano, the combination of the ham mers, strings, and keys; a vibrator to vibrate the hammers against the strings; and a movable ham mer-rest rail acting on the hammers IIO to gradually throw the hammers out of the sphere of action of the vibrator as the rail is moved fully forward, and by a movement in the reverse direction to again bring the hammers into operative relation with the vibrator.

6. The combination of the hammers, strings,

and keys of a piano, with a movable hammerrest rail, and avibrator for the hammers carried by the rail.

7. The combination of thehammers, strings, and keys of a piano, with a movable hammerrest rail; a vibrator carried by said rail; and spring-tongues extending out from the hammers into operative relation with the vibrator.

8. The combination of the hammers, strings, and keys of apiano, with a movable hammerrest rail; a vibrator carried by said rail; and means carried by the hammers extending out into operative relation with the vibrator.

9. The combination ofthehammers,strings, and keys of a piano, with spring-tongues attached to the hammers; and a vibrator adjacent to said tongues, acting thereon to vibrate the hammers when the keys are depressed.

10. The combination of the hammers and strings of a piano, with a vibrator; tongues carried by the hammers; and keys for actuating the hammers, which when depressed to the normal extent will move the tongues into contact with the vibrator, and when depressed below the normal degree will move the tongues out of operative position, substantially as described.

11. The combination of the hammers, strings, and keys of a piano, with a movable hammer-rest rail; a rotatable cam-shaft suspended from said rest-rail; means for imparting motion to said shaft; means for moving said rail toward the strings; and a series of tongues extending out from the hammershanks and normally out of contact with the cam-shaft.

12. In a piano, the combination of the strings and hammers; jacks for operating said hammers; keys for operating the jacks and throwing the hammers against the strings; back-checks maintaining said hammers,while the keys are depressed, in a position between the strings and their normally-released position; and a vibrator acting on the hammers while in said position.

13. In a piano, the combination of the strings and hammers; a hammer-rest rail; jacks for operating said hammers; keys for operating the jacks and throwing the hammers against the strings; back-checks main-- taining the hammers in a position between the strings and the hammer-rest rail While the key is depressed; and a vibrator acting on the hammers while in said position.

14. In a piano, the combination of the strings and hammers; a vibrator; keys for the hammers for causing the ordinary percussion-blow thereof; and means connected to the hammers acting in conjunction with the vibrator, said means being normally out of action with the vibrator but brought into operative relation therewith upon a partial return of the hammer after its percussionstroke.

15. In a piano, the combination of the strings and hammers; a vibrator; keys for actuating the hammers to give the ordinary percussion-blow; and means carried by the hammers brought into action with the vibra tor upon the depression of a key in making the percussion-blow.

LAMARTINE M. FRENCH.

Witnesses:

WM. S. BATES, EDGAR F. WAITE. 

